Another of these Itinerants was complain'd of, by a confiderable Number of his People; and one of the Articles they objected to him, before an Ecclefiaftical Council, convened, June 15. 1742, was, "We are uneafy with his wandering from Town to ແ Town, to the great Difturbance of Towns and "Churches, and neglecting his own Church at "Home". Upon which, the Council came into the following Refult, "It appears to us, that "the Rev. Mr. hath been too ready to "wander from Town to Town, and invade the Bishoprick and Office of his Brethren, and ad"minifter Occafion to Disturbance in feveral "Places (and we fear) to the Neglect of his "faithful Difcharge of his Duty, among his own "Flock, and to give too much Encouragement "to Lay-Perfons exhorting publickly; All of "which, are fo contrary to the Laws of CHRIST " and his Gofpel, as upon no Pretence to be coun"tenanced." I could mention fome other Instances in this Kind : But thefe fhall fuffice for the prefent.

And what is the Language of this going into other Men's Parifbes? Is it not obviously this? The fettled Paftors are Men, not qualified for their Office, or not faithful in the Execution of it; They are either unfit to take the Care of Souls, or grofly negligent in doing their Duty to them: Or, the Language may be, we are Men of greater Gifts, fuperiour Holiness, more Acceptablenefs to GOD; or have been in an extraordinary Manner fent by him. Some of these Itinerants, 'tis evident, have travelled about the Country preaching, under the full Perfwafion of an immediate Call from GOD: And as to most of them, it

may

1

may be feared, the grand Excitement, at the Bottom, has been, an overfond Opinion of themfelves, and an unchristian one of their Bre hren. It has therefore been their Practice, too commonly, not only to boast of their own fuperior Goodness, whereever they have gone; but to infinuate fufpicions against the fixed Paftors,if not to preach against them, and pray for them, as poor, carnal, unconverted Men Nay, meer Candidates for the Ministry; yea, illiterate Exhorters, raw, weak young Men, or Lads, have too frequently taken upon them, openly to judge and cenfure their Minifters; as I fhall have Occafion, afterwards, to fhow at large.

Moreover, what is the Tendency of this Prac tice, but Confusion and Disorder? If one Paf tor may neglect his own People to take Care of others, who arealready taken Care of; and, it may be much better than he can take care of them: I fay, if one Paftor may do thus, why not another, and another ftill, and fo on, 'till there is no fuch Thing as Church Order in the Land ? One Minister has the fame Right to enter into other Men's Parifbes as another; and may vindicate his Conduct upon the fame Principles : And if this should become the general Practice, what might be expected, as the Effect, but an intire Diffolution of our Church State? This Itinerant Preaching, it is my firm Perfwafion, naturally tends to it in the Courfe of Things; yea, and the Principles, upon which it is fupported, will disband all the Churches in the World; and make the Relation, between Paftors and People, a meer Nothing, a Sound without Meaning.

It will not be thought a needlefs Digreffion to infert here, the Sentiments of the First Fathers of this Country, upon this Point of Order in the Churches. This juftly lay with great Weight upon their Minds; For it is indeed the Strength as well as Beauty of the Creation. Next to Faith, they efteemed Order, a Matter of Neceffity to the Well-Being of thefe Churches. And to this it was owing, that they held a Synod at Cambridge, Anno 1648, confifting of all the Churches of the MAS-: SACHUSETTS-PROVINCE, by their Elders and Meffengers; when they agreed upon that Rule of Church Order, commonly called, our Platform of Church-Difcipline. Here it is declared as their. united Judgment, "That Elders are appointed to "feed, not all Flocks, but the particular Flock "over which the HOLY GHOST hath made them "Overseers; and that Flock they must attend, "even the whole Flock : And one Congregation "being as much as any ordinary Elder can at"tend, therefore there is no greater Church than "a Congregation, which may ordinarily meet in "one Place."

And again,* " Church Officers are Officers to

one Church, even that particular over which "the HOLY GHOST hath made them Ovefeers; "infomuch as Elders are commanded to feed, "not all Flocks, but that Flock which is com<mitted to their Faith and Truft, and dependeth "on them: Nor can conftant Refidence at one "Congregation be neceffary for a Minifter, no, nor yet lawful, if he be not a Minifter to one

Platform, Chapter 3. Sect. 5.
Sect. 6.

* Chapter 9.

Congregation

"Congregation only, but to the Church univer"fal; because he may not attend one Part on"ly of the Church to which he is a Minifter, but is called to attend unto all the Flock."

And 'tis obfervable, though they allow of a Communion of Churches, yet it is only in fuch Cafes, and under fuch Limitations, as may confift, with the Rights both of particular Churches and their Paftors; yea, and with the Duties too they mutually owe to each other.

On the one Hand, they concede to Minifters officiating in other Churches befides their own; but then, it is upon Suppofition of a mutual Confent, not only between the refpective particular Churches, but their Elders ‡ alfo : Nor is even this allow'd, but occafionally, and as the Circumstances of other Churches may call for the Asfiftance of neighbour Minifters. If the Minifter of one Church be fick, the Minifter of another (if defired) may adminifter Baptifm in his Room.t In like Cafe S, "fuch Churches as are furnifh"ed with more Ministers than one, do willingly "afford one of their own Minifters to fupply the "Place of an abfent or fick Minister of another "Church, for a needful Seafon." "Tis evident. from these Paffages, and indeed from the whole Scope of the Platform, that our Fathers never imagin'd it warrantable, either from Reason, or the Word of GOD, for Ministers to act in any Church

See the Propofit. about a Confociation of Churches; Prop. 5. and 8, Platform, Chapt. 10. Secti. 8. II. Platform, Chap. 15. Sect. ibid.

Sect. 4.

E 3

befides

befides their own, unless with the Confent, not of a Party only in the Church, but the Body of the Church; yea, and with the Concurrence alfo of its Elder, if any it had. A Conduct contrary to this, they would have teftified againft, with all Severity; as being oppofite to Order, an In-let to Disturbances, and tending to Confufion.

On the other Hand, they allow that the Brethren of a particular Church may occafionally, and as there may be real Need of it, communicate with other Churches in any Acts of Church Fellowship; but then, they particularly give it as their judgment †, That "Church-Members may "not remove or depart from the Church, and "fo one from another, as they please, nor with❝out juft and weighty Caufe; but ought to "live and dwell together, forafmuch as they are "commanded not to forfake the Affembling of "themselves together. Such Departure tends

to the Diffolution and Ruin of the Body, as "the pulling of Stones and Pieces of Timber "from the Building, and of Members from the "natural Body, tends to the Destruction of the "Whole." And again," To feparate from ❝a Church, either out of Contempt of their holy "Fellowship, or out of Schifm, or Want of "Love, and out of a Spirit of Contention, in "Refpect of fome Unkindness, or fome evil on"ly conceived, or indeed in the Church, which "might and should be tolerated and healed with "a Spirit of Meekness, and of which Evil the "Church is not yet convinced, (though perhaps "himself be) nor admonifhed: For thefe, or

† Platform, Chap. 13. Sect, 1.

* Sect. 5.

the